A Man for All Seasons
The uneasy interplay of church and state has rarely been as well illustrated as in Robert Bolt's play, A Man For All Seasons. Arguably one the finest screenwriters ever, Bolt (Lawrence of Arabia and The Mission), was asked to adapt his play for the film.
Directed by Fred Zinnemann, the story follows Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of England and a favorite of Henry VIII's, who falls afoul of the king when he refuses to publicly sanction the king's divorce from Queen Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn. Paul Scofield turns in one of his finest performances as More, perfectly depicting his scathing wit, and unbending adherence to his conscience.
The film also features one of John Hurt's earliest screen appearances in the role of Richard Rich. Hurt masterfully portrays Rich's unconscionable characterthe antithesis of Morean ignoble man who betrays and even perjures himself against his friend to achieve his own ends. And Leo McKern's gruff persona is perfectly suited to playing Lord Cromwell, the "intellectual bully" whom, for all his conniving and brute force, is unable to condemn More legally. As King Henry, Robert Shaw's appearance is brief, but such is the ranting intensity and sheer power of his confrontation with More, that his influence haunts the viewer to the very end of the film.
The film is beautifully realized in
every aspect, artfully photographed, while Georges Delerue's
score evokes the period by being written entirely in the style
of time.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 1998
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